Nicki Minaj Finally ClapsBack at Remy Ma! And it"s Weak! "No Frauds"ft. Drake & Lil Wayne
Nicki Minaj has responded to Remy Ma"s "Shether" and "Another One" taunts with some ruthless tracks of her own. Enlisting Lil Wayne and Drake, the Young Money members take on posers in "No Frauds." The rapper also released "Changed It" with Lil Wayne, which also takes swipes at Remy Ma, and a third track called "Regret in Your Tears."
"Tried to drop "Another One," you was itchin" to scrap/ You exposed your ghostwriter, now you wish you were scrapped," she raps. "Heard your p***y on yuck, I guess you needed a pap."
She continues by questioning her challenger. "What type of b*m b***h shoot a friend over a rap?/ What type of mother leave her one son over a stack?/ Lil" boogie down basic b***h thinkin" she back/ Back to back? Oh, you mean back to whack/ Back to back? Me and Drizzy laughed at that/ They say numbers don"t matter, but when they discussing the kings/ They turn around and say LeBron ain"t got six rings."
In "Changed It" Minaj hits Remy Ma again with the lines "The b***h gambled her career," she spits. "Now it gonna be severe."
Later, she declares herself the champ in their feud. "MJ to the teens/ I am Billy Jean and the b***h is my son," she proclaims. "I"m doing it for fun, I am the first number, tell them b*****s I won/ This hoe getting slick, so I put on gym shoes and extended my run/ MJ, Game 6, Jackson, Tyson."
Minaj also unveiled the more personal "Regret in Your Tears," which addresses her breakup with Meek Mill.
Lecrae comments on the recent feud between Remy Ma and Nicki Minaj. Watch here.
PATRIOTS SIGN STEPHON GILMORE - BEST FREE AGENT CORNER
Early in the tampering period, the Bears seemed to be a destination for Stephon Gilmore. Bills fans blew up Twitter, saying that Gilmores five interceptions last season were lucky and that Chicago was overpaying.
By Thursday morning, Gilmore wasnt going to the Bears. In fact, he will face the Bills twice a year as a New England Patriot, and suddenly #BillsMafia is left wondering, What does Bill Belichick know that we dont?
Thats the aura that Belichick holds in this league. With five Super Bowl titles and 13 division titles in the last 14 years, when Belichick and the Patriots make a move, it makes observers rethink everything.
Its why Gilmores five-year contract worth $65 million with a whopping $40 million guaranteed doesnt bat as many eyes with the Patriots as it would with another team.
Belichick gets away with moves in the public arena that other GMs wouldnt. He has brought plenty of cast-offs to Foxborough and finds a way to make it work. He also has let plenty of stars walk in free agency or go via trade in transactions that would send mobs with pitchforks out after other GMs. Thats why when reports surfaced that the Patriots could trade Malcolm Butler, the overall response was, Oh, that makes sense as opposed to Why would you trade your best corner!
Back to Gilmore, a first-round pick for the Bills in 2012 who had five interceptions last season and has 14 in his career to go along with 62 passes defensed. Buffalo wasnt going to pay that kind of top dollar for Gilmore, who may not be a perfect fit in new head coach Sean McDermotts defense, but its extremely rare to see the Patriots and $40 million guaranteed in the same sentence for a free agent, too.
The Patriots dont usually set the market. They did sign Darrelle Revis in 2014, Randy Moss in 2008 and Adalius Thomas in 2007. But they had a need at corner with Logan Ryan set to sign elsewhere and Butler potentially up for grabs. Gilmore has great length and ball skills, plus hes only 26 years old.
The Bills, though, are in the unenviable position here because of Belichicks track record, not to mention Buffalos nearly two decades of playoff futility compared to the Patriots dynasty.
Its a massive contract to be sure, one that Belichick and the Patriots will get credit for because of their past (and if it doesn"t work out for some reason, the Pats will get out from under it and be praised for moving on), while the Bills have to hope their decision not to bring back Gilmore doesnt come back to bite them twice a year.
Only the Hacketstown School Districtwas proactive and set a 90-minute delay on Thursday for Friday morning. It updated that with a closure just before 6:45 a.m.
By 5 a.m., there were snow emergencies in Hackettstown and Belvidere -- both of which began at midnight; Hakettstown"s was lifted just after 11 a.m. -- but all the other school delays were in the Poconos, according to WFMZ"s list.
That slowly changed over the next 30 minutes.
Scattered snowflakes began falling at that hour in Easton with the temperature at 38 degrees, but, while there was plenty to see on weather radar, there was nothing on the ground. While it picked up in intensity, by 5:40, nothing was sticking in Easton.
The pace of delays roseafter 5:30 a.m.
The temperature dropped with the snow, falling to 34 degrees by 6 a.m. It was 33 by 7 a.m. and finally hit freezing just before 8 a.m.
The Bethlehem Area School District remained on its regular schedule, Superintendent Joseph Roy said, because "Based on the forecasts and weather service I use, there is supposed to be little to no accumulation on roads."
Trees, lawns, cars and roofs were getting a dusting by 6:10 a.m. as it snowed harderin Easton.
The forecast was pointed at sunrise -- 6:20 a.m. -- for the snowing and sticking part of the storm. The National Weather Service expects 2 to 4 inches with the posssibility of precipitation at 100 percent. But the roads and most sidewalks remained clear.
Just before 6:30 a.m., meteorologist Joe Martucci checked in from WeatherWorks in Hackettstown to say the weather company"s forecast remained 2 to 4 inches of snow, but "less on roads." He reminded that there is the possibility of snow squalls and thunder snow from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m., with another inch possible.
Several Warren County school districts that were on delays switched to closed by 8 a.m.
A crash after 6 a.m. shut the right lane of Route 33 South near the Freemansburg Avenue interchange in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania State Police reported. But most roads remained clear at that hour, a trooper said from the Belfast barracks.
DELAYS/CLOSURES
We"ll update as we get them
Allentown School District, closed; professional development
Bangor Area School District, closed
UPDATE: Belvidere School District, closed
Catasauqua Area School District, closed; teacher inservice
UPDATE: Hackettstown School District, closed
UPDATE: North Warren Regional School District,closed
UPDATE: Phillipsburg School District,closed
Sacred Heart School in Bath closed by power outage (WFMZ)
Warren County Community College, closed
UPDATE: Warren County elementaries (from WFMZ): Alpha (closed), Franklin (closed), Greenwich (closed), Harmony (closed), Hope (closed), Lopatcong (closed), Mansfield (closed), Pohatcong (closed), Oxford Central (closed), Washington (closed), Washington Township (closed), White Township (closed)
UPDATE: Warren Hills Regional School District,closed
UPDATE: Warren Tech, closed
Tony Rhodin may be reached atarhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@TonyRhodin. Findlehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
ESPN First Take - Stephen A. Smith To DeSean Jackson About Cowboys
By Kristi Scales , Special contributor Contact Kristi Scales on Twitter:
Kristi Scales, the sideline reporter for the Dallas Cowboys radio network, answered questions about the team in a live chat Wednesday. Here are some of the highlights:
Q: Which NFC East moves should Cowboys fans watch the next couple weeks?
Scales: The situation in Washington merits attention, and not just the player acquisitions/departures in free agency. And not just the rumors of QB Kirk Cousins" future after he received the franchise designation.
The absence of Redskins general manager ScotMcCloughan from team headquarters this week (when free agency begins) and last week at the combine has Redskins observers in a dither. They still have former GM Bruce Allen in-house (he"s the team president), but there appears to be disarray in D.C. (not just in Trump"s White House!).
How McCloughan"s situation affects whether or not receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are re-signed is unknown as this point.
Q: Hearing reports of DeSean Jackson interest from both the Cowboys and the Eagles. Where does the Washington WR go? How would he fit between Dez and Beasley?
Scales: Jackson could be the speed, downfield guy in the Cowboys passing attack. Terrance Williams has a career average of 15.8 yards per catch. But Williams could command a big contract elsewhere in free agency. Brice Butler is reportedly returning on a 1-year deal (he"s averaged 14.8 yards per catch). But DeSean Jackson"s career average is 17.7 yards per catch. And if you think he"s slowing down at age 30, he actually averaged 17.9 yards per catch last season for the Redskins (slightly above his career average). Butler has talent, but he"s been inconsistent. jackson would be proven production over a long period of seasons.
Q: Is Kirk Cousins staying in Washington or leaving? What does he offer a new team?
Scales: Cousins offers an NFL track record, something you don"t have with the incoming rookie class of QBs. You have a much better idea of what you"re getting with Cousins than with these college guys who"ve never taken a snap under center or had to call a play in a huddle (thanks a lot, college spread offenses!). And Cousins has a working relationship with the Redskins coaches, of course, as well as with new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (who had Cousins for two seasons in Washington, 2012-13). That"s why there is so much speculation about Cousins and Shanahan reunitingeven though Cousins was franchised by the Redskins. By the way, there are reports this week about Shanahan bringing in Brian Hoyer, another QB with whom he"s worked in the past.
Q: Based off the Giants" current roster (before draft, FA, etc), would they sweep Cowboys right now in rematches?
Scales: The Giants reportedly have a 2-year deal ready to sign with free agent WR Brandon Marshall, so that"s quite a triumvirate of receivers for Eli Manning (along with Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard). Which Cowboys DBs will be available to cover them? With Barry Church, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and J.J. Wilcox all entering free agency, who will be back? And will the Cowboys draft a DB or pass rusher? Obviously it"s impossible to answer your questions right now. As my broadcast colleague Babe Laufenberg likes to say, "If you want to ask me who will win, you have to tell me who is playing."Usually Babe is referring to who is healthy during the regular season, but it applies equally to offseason personnel moves.
--Click/tap here to read the full chat transcript.
himself as one of the NFL"s more dependable cornerbacks with the New England Patriots, but his four-year run with the AFC powerhouse came to an end Thursdaywhen he reportedly signed with the Tennessee Titans.
Adam Caplan of ESPN first reported the agreement. NFL Network"s Ian Rapoport confirmed the deal and added that it"s a three-year, $30 million contract.
Ben Volin of theBoston Globenoted "Titans GM Jon Robinson signs Logan Ryan, one of the last players he drafted as Patriots director of college scouting in 2013."
A 2013 third-round draft pick, Ryan didn"t take long to establish himself as a valuable member of New England"s defensive backfield.In 16 games during his rookie season, the Rutgers product tallied 47 total tackles to go with 1.5 sacks, 10 defended passes and a career-high five interceptions.
Ryan later emerged as an indispensable and versatile player in 2015 when he logged 74 total tackles, four picks and a career-high 14 defended passes working in multiple roles.
"I came into the league playing a lot of slot my rookie year; I played both my second year; my third year I kind of, from need, went to the outside, had success," he said, per Pats Pulpit"sRich Hill. "This year, started outside, from need went inside. So I think Im the guy always went with where the team needed me to go."
Speaking of his 2016 season, Ryan remained a disruptive force to the tune of two interceptions, 92 total tackles and 11 defended passes.
"Logan has done a great job," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, per MassLive.com"sKevin Duffy. "He"s worked hard. He"s very conscientious. He takes coaching well. He tries to do what he is instructed to do, and when you identify something he is doing wrong, he tries to correct it and improve on it."
The task now will be for Ryan to continue his ascent and thrive under the watchful eye of defensive coordinator d**k LeBeau.
As far as his tactical deployment is concerned, Ryan figures to slide in opposite Jason McCourtywho should be motivated to produce since he"s heading into a contract year.
If McCourty can elevate his offerings following a relatively down 2016, the Titans" secondary could be in line for a bounce-back campaign after it allowed a 30th-ranked 269 passing yards per game last season.
ESPN First Take - Aaron Rodgers Is Pissed Off By Mike Glennon
In their most significant move at the quarterback position since 2009, the Bears will sign former Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon to a three-year contract, according to multiple reports.
ESPN"s Adam Schefter reported that the deal is worth $45 million with $19 million guaranteed. Making an average of $15 million per year, Glennon will rank 23rd in that category among quarterbacks. The $19 million guaranteed will rank 25th.
The 27-year-old spent the first four years of his career with the Bucs, who drafted him in the third round in 2013. As a rookie, Glennon started 13 games, completing 59.4 percent of his passes while throwing 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a Bucs team that went 4-12 under Greg Schiano.
In 2014, Lovie Smith was hired in Tampa and he brought in Josh McCown, fresh off a successful season with the Bears in 13. Glennon started only five games that year, completing 57.6 percent of his passes while throwing 10 touchdowns and six picks.
The Bucs went 2-14 that season and used the No. 1 pick in 2015 on Jameis Winston, relegating Glennon to a backup role the past two seasons. He has attempted only 11 passes since 2014, all coming late in a loss to the Falcons in Week Nine this past season.
A tall 6-foot-6, 225-pounder with a strong arm, Glennon played his college football at North Carolina State. From 2011-12, he threw 62 touchdowns to 29 interceptions for the Wolfpack.
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Bears GM Ryan Pace got a good look at Glennon from 2013-14 when Pace was in the personnel department in New Orleans, the Bucs NFC South rival. According to a New Orleans Times-Picayune report, the Saints had a high draft grade on Glennon in 2013.
The Bears entered free agency with more than $50 million in cap space and a massive need at the quarterback position. Cutlers career in Chicago will end with a 53-53 record and one playoff appearance in eight seasons. Last season, Cutler, Brian Hoyer and Shaw all ended up on injured reserve. Hoyer signed a two-year deal with the 49ers. barkley is a free agent.
glennon would be the franchises sixth starting quarterback since the start of the 2013 season and 16th since 2004.
With Wednesdays games in the books we can now move forward to an even more exciting Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament. Each game has the making to be a great one with all eight teams playing for something.
None of these games are expected to be blowouts, and Im anticipating at least one if not a few upsets to come out of Thursdays action.
Lets take a look at the four games that will take place on Thursday in Washington, D.C. in the Big Ten Tournament. All lines are courtesy of Vegas Insider.
-No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers
TV/Time: 6:30 PM ET on ESPN2
Spread: Indiana (-1)
All of Thursdays games in the Big Ten Tournament are going to be great, but for me this is the best one on the slate for a number of different reasons.
This years 7-10 matchup features a pair of desperate teams that still both have an outside chance of reaching the big dance. Mix that with a great regular season matchup that needed overtime and we got a recipe for a barn burner.
Both teams enter the Big Ten Tournament on winning notes. Indiana picked up only its second win in its last eight games in the regular season finale at Ohio State, and Iowa cruises into the Big Ten Tournament on a four-game winning streak, which was started with that thrilling overtime win over Indiana on Feb. 21. Senior guard Peter Jok had 35 points that day 22 from the free throw line to lead the Hawkeyes back from an early 13-point deficit. However, it should be noted Iowa shot 28 more free throws then Indiana in that game.
Neither team has lived up to expectations for most of the year, but both still have a lot of talent and are dangerous teams in a single-elimination bracket. Indianas downward spiral to end the season has been well documented but this is still a team that beat Kansas and North Carolina. And Iowa has grown up a lot throughout the season, and is starting to really see this young team bloom down the stretch.
The key matchup to watch in this game is the battle between Jok and Hoosiers junior guard James Blackmon Jr. Jok got the best of Blackmon in the first matchup as Blackmon finished with 18 points, but more importantly fouled out. Whoever has a better game between these two is going to put their team in a good position to win this game. Also keep an eye on the battle in the post between Iowa freshman forward Tyler Cook and Indiana sophomore center Thomas Bryant.
I like Indiana to win this one. As I mentioned above both teams have a lot to play for and I would go as far as saying Iowa has more to play for with a better chance at reaching the tournament. But this time around Indiana wont send the Hawkeyes to the charity stripe 47 times and theyll have a better strategy for containing Jok. The Hoosiers pop the Hawkeyes bubble and remain alive for at least one more day in the nations capital.
Pick Against The Spread: Indiana
-No. 8 Michigan Wolverines vs. No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini
TV/Time: 12:00 PM ET on BTN
Spread: Michigan (-5)
This was a close second for my game of the day on Thursday with an exciting start to the day expected. Michigan and Illinois kickoff the action on Thursday and will feature a pair of NCAA Tournament bubble teams. The Wolverines enter the contest after throttling Nebraska in the season finale, while Illinois looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss at Rutgers in their season finale.
These two split their regular season battles with the home team picking up the victory. The Wolverines used the victory over Illinois on Jan. 21 to jumpstart a strong finish to their season, winning eight of their final 12 games. During that stretch senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. was incredible averaging 17.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
Opposite of Walton will be Illinois senior guard Malcolm Hill. Both of these guys can put the ball in the hoop and do a little bit of everything else for their teams. Expect both to have great games, but I think the game-changer in this one is Michigan junior forward D.J. Wilson. He put up 19 points in each of the two contests against Illinois earlier this year, and I think h**l have another big game on Thursday.
Behind the strong play of Walton and Wilson Michigan will pick up the win to solidify its spot in the NCAA Tournament and move on to face Purdue in the quarterfinals.
Pick Against The Spread: Michigan
-No. 5 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions
TV/Time: Approximately 2:30 PM ET on BTN
KenPom Spread: Michigan State (-4)
Michigan State will get its chance at revenge on Thursday against Penn State as they look to avenge one of their worst losses of the season. The Nittany Lions got the Spartans back in January on a neutral court game in Philadelphia, but dont expect a similar result on Thursday.
Penn State needed overtime to get past Nebraska in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, and will need to get right back up if they want to pull the upset on Thursday. The Nittany Lions dominated the boards in the earlier matchup between these two teams, but with a much improved freshman forward Nick Ward and tired legs on the Penn State bench I dont think thatll happen again.
Penn State has experienced some success in the Big Ten Tournament under Pat Chambers, and I do think this one will be close at half. But Michigan State has too much to lose in this one and I think well start to see Penn State show signs of fatigue in the second half. The Spartans will make just enough plays down the stretch to pull it out. The win should lock the Spartans into their 20th straight ncaa tournament and also sets up an exciting matchup with Minnesota on Friday in the quarterfinals.
Pick Against The Spread: Michigan State
-No. 6 Northwestern Wildcats vs. No. 14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
TV/Time: Approximately 9:00 PM ET on ESPN2
KenPom Spread: Northwestern (-7)
The final game of the day on Thursday could end up being another upset special that no one would have predicted.
Rutgers used a big performance from junior guard Nigel Johnson on Wednesday to knock off Ohio State in the opening round. Rutgers has picked up two straight wins for the first time since before Christmas and creates a scary matchup for Northwestern.
Rutgers played the Wildcats tough in both games during the regular season, and has enough talent in the backcourt to also make this one interesting. In the end Northwestern is simply the better team and in these kinds of tournaments the better team normally wins.
Like in the first two games, expect it to be close throughout, but in the end Northwestern pulls away with a few big shots from their star in the backcourt Bryant McIntosh. But Rutgers will cover the spread.
